Some 300,000 Minnesotans who have been mailed absentee ballots for next week’s primary, and want to vote by mail, should get on it and send in their ballots back “ASAP” to ensure they have enough time to reach elections offices and be counted, an election official said Wednesday.
Otherwise, they should vote in person — as should everyone else who wants to vote in the partisan primary but hasn’t yet requested an absentee ballot. The official primary date is Tuesday, Aug. 11, but you can vote in person already.
Because it’s a pandemic and all, things might seem a bit confusing. Here’s an explainer:
CRAZY INTEREST
A record-smashing crush of voters have requested ballots be mailed to them this summer, part of a years-long trend in Minnesota that was rapidly accelerated by voters’ desires to avoid potentially crowded places during the coronavirus pandemic.
In Ramsey County, the nearly 89,000 ballots sent to voters as of Wednesday is a huge 3,500 percent increase over the number of ballots sent during the comparable primary four years ago, county Elections Director David Triplett said. In fact, the roughly 41,000 ballots already sent in by voters and accepted by the county is some 15,000 more than the total number of those voting in the 2016 primary.
Statewide, the appetite to vote by mail — technically it’s “absentee voting” for most voters — is similarly ravenous. As of Friday, election officials across the state had received 545,829 requests for ballots — more than 10 times the number of requests in 2018, according to state figures. Of those, a little more than 245,000 had been returned and accepted.
That’s a high number, but it also reveals that some 300,000 have yet to be returned.
“Folks who have already requested their ballots and have them in hand, need to return them ASAP,” said Risikat Adesaogun, spokesman for Secretary of State Steve Simon, whose office oversees elections.
Those ballots can be returned in the mail or in person to your county election office or designated early in-person voting sites.
MAIL IS ON TIME
Despite reports of mail delays in some parts of the country, the mail is on time across Minnesota, according to statements by a spokeswoman with the U.S. Postal Service in Minneapolis and a union representative with the American Postal Workers Union in St. Paul.
In theory, mail from one place in a county to another place in a county is usually delivered within two days. However, “the Postal Service recommends that domestic, non-military voters mail their ballots at least one week prior to their state’s due date to allow for timely receipt by election officials,” according to spokeswoman Nicole Hill.
Because of the pandemic, Simon has essentially extended the due date for mailed ballots to be received. This year, they must be postmarked no later than Aug. 11, but they can be received as late as a day before each county’s “canvass” — the official tallying of the votes. For most counties during this primary, that means the ballots can be received as late as Thursday, Aug. 13, and still be counted. But again, the Postal Service and Simon’s office are recommending voters get them in the mail before then.
To allow for a week, voters should mail their ballots Thursday.
Also of note: Simon has also waived the witness signature requirement for an absentee ballot. All other requirements to establish your identity remain in place.
Adesaogun said it’s probably too risky to request a mail-in ballot at this point because it might take county election workers time to prepare your ballot and mail it to you.
MAIL VS. IN-PERSON
The simplest way to get your vote counted is still in person.
Here are the three basic scenarios:
- You can drop off an absentee ballot in person at any place open to early voting, including county election offices.
- You can vote in person at those same places, regardless of whether or not you requested an absentee ballot.
- Some people, including those in nursing homes or with health issues, can request an “agent” — someone you know — hand deliver a ballot for you.
The only thing you can’t do is attempt to vote in person if the county has already received and accepted a mailed ballot. If you’re unsure of the status of your mail ballot the state has an online ballot tracker to check. You can also contact your county election office.
THIS IS A PRIMARY
Tuesday’s election is a partisan primary to determine which candidate from the major parties will appear on the November ballot; this is not the general election featuring President Donald Trump, a Republican, against Democrat Joe Biden, and their names are all but guaranteed to appear on the November ballot.
Races on Tuesday’s ballot include contested Democratic and Republican primaries for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Tina Smith, as well as U.S. House seats, and state House and Senate seats. In such a primary, you can only vote for races of one party.